Jackson Merrill homered and Ryan O’Hearn’s three-run double gave San Diego the lead for good in the Padres’ come-from-behind 7-3 win over the host Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
The Padres (84-71), who are second in both the National League West and the NL wild-card race, had lost three of their last four.
The White Sox (58-97) have lost seven of their last eight. Chicago got a home run from Lenyn Sosa and three spectacular catches from right fielder Mike Tauchman.
Reliever Adrian Morejon (13-5) got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Chicago starter Yoendrys Gomez (3-3) was the loser as he gave up three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He did not walk a batter and had four strikeouts.
San Diego starter Yu Darvish allowed two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
The Padres scored four runs in the sixth to go ahead 5-2. Manny Machado tied it 2-2 with a run-scoring single and O’Hearn gave them the lead with his bases-loaded double.
Gavin Sheets’ added an RBI single in the eighth and Luis Arraez a run-scoring single in the ninth.
Sosa hit his 21st homer with two outs in the ninth.
Kyle Teel’s run-scoring double in the third inning gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead.
An unusual double play ended the San Diego third. Tauchman made a diving catch coming in on Arraez’s liner and then jumped to his feet and doubled Freddy Fermin off of first.
Tauchman also made a diving catch on Merrill’s liner towards the right-field corner in the fourth and leaped into the screen in foul territory to make a catch that ended the top of the sixth.
Merrill’s solo home run leading off the second tied the game at 1. He hit Gomez’s second pitch of the inning, an 0-1 changeup, into the right-center field stands for his 15th homer.
The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out double by Miguel Vargas.
